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Kings hope to take 2-0 lead back to L.A.

by
Brian Compton
/ NHL.com

KINGS at BLUES

(Los Angeles leads best-of-seven series 1-0)

TV: TSN, CNBC, RDSI

Big Story: Jonathan Quick showed once again why he is a Vezina Trophy finalist on Saturday night, as he stopped 28 of 29 shots to lead the Kings to a 3-1 victory in Game 1 of this Western Conference semifinal at the Scottrade Center. After Monday night's game, the series shifts to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4.

Team Scope:

Kings: One of the biggest reasons for the Kings' early success in these playoffs is their play on the road. With Saturday's victory, Los Angeles improved to 4-0 away from Staples Center this postseason. While they'd obviously like to go home with a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series, they know the second-seeded Blues are only going to come harder Monday night.

"We've been treating each game as an individual game," said Dustin Penner, who tallied a goal and an assist Saturday night. "I know it's cliché to say that, but it's a lot harder to do it and not look too far ahead. We've just been playing every game as a one-game season."

Blues: The biggest question heading into Game 2 is, will Alex Pietrangelo be able to play?

The skilled defenseman suffered an upper-body injury during the second period Saturday night, and his status for Monday remains uncertain. Pietrangelo was pushed into the boards by Kings forward Dwight King and could not return for the third period.

"I haven't seen him today. I talked to him last night. He seemed to be in quite a bit of pain," defensive partner Carlo Colaiacovo said. "Hopefully, he woke up this morning and felt a lot better. I haven't seen him today, I haven't talked to him today. Hopefully he's good enough to go tomorrow. We'll wait for tomorrow.

"He's still got 24 hours to get himself ready. If it happens, great. We obviously need him in our lineup. He's a big part of our team. If he's not, hopefully he'll be back soon. In the meantime, we have guys capable in here of stepping up. They're going to have no choice but to. We're a team in here. That's got to be our focus."

Who's Hot: Quick is 5-1 with a 1.49 goals-against average and .955 save percentage through six playoff games.

Stat Pack: Slava Voynov found the back of the net for Los Angeles on Saturday night, becoming the first Kings' rookie defenseman to score in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since Alexei Zhitnik accomplished the feat in 1993.

Puck Drop: "Hopefully he's in the lineup but if not, we're going to have to push through. He's a big part of our team, but we're going to have someone else fill that role and take some responsibility. We've been filling holes and taking more responsibility all year. This is no change." -- Blues captain David Backes on Alex Pietrangelo